You are blessed. - Numbers 6:22-27
What does it mean to receive a blessing? The answer to that question depends heavily on context. If a father tells quivering young man, “you have my blessing to marry my daughter”, the young man understands the blessing to mean he has permission to marry the older man’s daughter. If two strangers are in an elevator and one of them sneezes, the one who didn’t sneeze might say to the sneezer, “God bless you”. The sneezer might understand that blessing to be a wish for good health. If a prep school student’s friends think he is wealthy because his fit is dripping, he might try to deflect his friends by saying “my family is blessed”, but what all his friends will hear is that his family is rich. If two southerners are sitting on the back porch talking about how the neighbor boy got his head stuck in the stairway handrail they might spend half an hour questioning the boy’s intelligence but at the end of the conversation one of them will say to the other “bless his heart” and they will both understand the blessing to be an insult.
The context in which a blessing is bestowed determines the meaning of the blessing. For you church going folk, the blessing that is bestowed at end of a worship service is probably the context with which you are most familiar. Each week I stand before you with hands raised and say, “24 “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’; each week I bestow a blessing upon you, but what does that blessing mean? Am I granting you permission to go do something, am I wishing you good health, am I making a statement about your wealth, am I insulting you, or am I doing something else? Today we are going to take a closer look at the blessing as it is recorded in Numbers 6:24-26. It is my hope and prayer that before I put an amen on this sermon you will have a greater understanding of what it means to be blessed.
The first context clue to a better understanding of the blessing that is bestowed upon you at the end of the worship service is to identify the one giving the blessing. On the surface it looks like that person is me. I am the one standing before you, my arms are the ones raised above you, and it is my voice that you hear speaking. The Israelites experienced something very similar. In verses 22-23 we read, “22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.” Aaron and his sons were the ones chosen by God to serve as the priests for the people. They led the worship services, offered sacrifices, and said prayers on behalf of the people. They were the ancient equivalent to what we call pastors. Aaron and his sons stood before the people in much the same way I stand before you and they raised their hands above them and spoke to them just as I do. On the surface it looked like Aaron and his sons were the ones blessing the people. But it was not Aaron and his sons who were blessing the Israelites and It is not me who is blessing you. It was and it is the LORD. Take another look at verse 27. There the LORD says, “27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” The LORD is the one who blesses His people. Priest and pastor are simply instruments that the LORD uses to communicate His blessing. In this, priest and pastor are like a hammer in the hands of a craftsmen. Priest and pastor can take no more credit for the blessing that is bestowed upon you than a hammer can claim credit for the house the craftsman builds. The blessing that is bestowed upon you at the end of the service is the LORD’s blessing. The LORD is the one blessing you.
Knowing that it is the LORD Who is blessing you is important to a better understanding of the blessing. If it were Aaron and his son who were blessing the Israelites, if it was me who is blessing you than the blessing would be a nice way to end a worship service. It would at least be better than me saying something like, “Y’all come back now, ya hear?” ’ But if I were the one blessing you, the blessing would not have much meaning. I don’t have the power or authority to do the kinds of things mentioned in the blessing. If the blessing came from me, it would be a nice sentiment; a wish; something I would like to happen for you but not something I can actually make happen for you. The LORD, however, has the power and authority to make it happen. As you recall the LORD made light happen but speaking it into existence, in fact all that exist is because the LORD made it happen. The LORD continues to rule over and control all things. Nothing happens without the LORD either directing or allowing it to happen. Even when “bad things” happen the LORD uses the bad things to do good things for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.[1] When the LORD blesses you, He is not expressing a sentiment or making a wish. When the LORD blesses you, He is telling you what is going to happen.
So, let’s take a closer look at the things the LORD is actually going to make happen for you. The first thing the LORD says to you in His blessing is, “24 The LORD bless you and keep you”. The LORD “keeps” you, not like a pet in a cage or a convict in a prison, but like gardener tending to her plants or a shepherd watching over his sheep. In Psalm 91:11 the word “keep” is used to describe the function of the angels. Except in that passage the word is translated as “guard”. “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”. At the end of a worship service, as you are about to head out into the big bad world the LORD wants you to know that He is keeping you; He is watching over you; guarding you and protecting you from all that would seek to do you harm. This part of the LORD’s blessing always makes me think of the first person of the Trinity. As a father watches over; guards and protects his children, so the heavenly Father watches over; guards and protects you.
The LORD’s protection covers your property and possessions, life and limb, but primarily and most importantly the LORD’s protection extends into the spiritual realm. First and foremost, the LORD keeps your soul. In fact, the LORD might allow property and possessions, life and limb to be lost for the sake of keeping your soul. The devil prowls around you like a roaring lion looking to devour your soul, unbelievers surround you with all sorts of sinfully enticing activities that will damage your soul, and even your own sinful nature is constantly suggesting ways in which you might corrupt your soul. Which is why, week after week, before you head out into that big bad world, the LORD instructs me to remind you that God the Father is keeping your soul.
The second thing the LORD says to you in His blessing is, “25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you”. The LORD gives you “grace”. Grace is the only solution to our sinful condition. God knows we have tried other solutions. One popular solution to our sinful condition is to try is to do more good than bad. You know, for every cookie you steal you must help one little old lady cross the street, or something like that. The nice thing about that solution is a lot of good things get done. Cathedrals are built, charities are funded, and causes are championed by people who are trying to do more good than bad. The problem with that solution is the “bad” doesn’t go away because some “good” was done. Which is why another popular solution to our sinful condition is to try harder not to sin in the first place. This solution has filled monasteries with monks and cloisters with nuns. It has filled congregations that seek to rid society of all sorts of evil like drinking, dancing, and miniskirts. The problem with this solution is sinners can’t run away from sin. Wherever a sinner goes sin follows because a sinner is sinful. Which is why another popular solution to our sinful condition is to accept that you are a sinner, but to try to find someone who is a worse sinner than yourself. If you struggle with gossip, try to find someone who is a pathological liar. If you have anger issues, try to find a cold-blooded killer. If greed is your weakness, try to find someone who has been convicted of embezzlement. This solution is attractive because almost everyone can find someone, they feel is a worse sinner than themselves. The problem with this solution is, as you are standing before God thanking him that you are better than the tax collectors and the prostitutes of the world you have made yourself guilty of the granddaddy of all sins, pride.
We have all tried to find alternative solutions to our sinful condition, but none of them work. There is only one solution to our sinful condition and that solution is God’s grace. This part of the LORD’s blessing always makes me think of the second person of the Trinity. You can’t think about God’s grace; the solution to our sinful condition without thinking about Jesus. The sinless Son of God saw our sinful condition and offered Himself as the solution. Jesus didn’t do any bad, He only did good. Jesus didn’t try as hard as He could not to sin, Jesus didn’t sin. Everywhere Jesus went and everyone Jesus met was a worse than He was. Yet Jesus allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross, forsaken by His Father, and buried in a tomb so that He could be the solution to our sinful condition. God knows how tempted we are to find our own solution to our sinful condition and God knows that our solutions will always fail. Which is why, week after week, The LORD instructs me to remind you that God the Son has graciously solved your sinful condition.
The third thing the LORD says to you in His blessing is, “26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” The LORD gives you “peace”. Peace is both the absence of conflict and the presence of harmony between two parties. Peace is disturbed when hostilities sour a relationship. Which is why it is understandable that even after you have heard about God’s grace you might not feel at peace. I mean, you sin a lot... at least I know I do. We have done our damnedest to sour our relationship with our God and it is easy to imagine we now have irreconcilable difference with our God. Which is where the Holy Spirit comes in. This part of the LORD’s blessing always makes me think of the third person of the trinity because the Holy Spirit is the one who repeatedly reminds us that in Jesus peace between you and your God has been restored.
The Holy Spirit knows how fragile our faith can be; He knows we need constant reminders that God is not mad at us and looking for ways to exact revenge upon us. The Holy Spirit knows we need constant reminders that God loves us. So, the Holy Spirit inspired prophets and apostles to compose a written record of God’s love. The Holy Spirit, using the word of God, infuses power into earthly elements like water and bread and wine so that we can touch taste and see God’s love. The Holy Spirit calls men and women into the public ministry so that you and your children can be told and taught about God’s love. God the Holy Spirit knows how fragile our faith can be which is why, week after week, He instructs me to remind you that you are at peace.
What does it mean to receive a blessing? In the context of our worship service where the LORD is the one giving the blessing it means God the Father promises to protect your soul, God the Son promises to pardon your sins, and God the Holy Spirit promises that you are at peace. In the context of our worship service where the LORD is the one giving the blessing that’s what it means to be blessed, and you my dear friends are blessed. Amen.
[1] Romans 8:28